Frederic Hopf

Summary

I study the mechanisms that promote motivated behavior, especially the compulsive drives that epitomize addiction. I combine sophisticated animal models to study substance abuse disorders with optogenetics, in vitro electrophysiology and shRNAs to identify drug-related changes that enhance pathological intake. I also seek to determine if depression and excessive anxiety, often co-morbid with alcoholism, are mediated by these signaling pathways and by dopamine and neuro-peptides.

Cell Biology Neuroscience